FLIGHTS OF THE VOUT BUG: A GUIDE TO THE RECORDED MUSIC OF MICHAEL "DODO" MARMAROSA by Dieter Salemann & Fabian Grob (paperback)

Discover the never before published discography and history of a legendary performer—Michael "Dodo" Marmarosa, an American jazz pianist, composer, and arranger. He became a professional musician in his mid-teens, and toured with several major Big Bands, including those led by Tommy Dorsey, Gene Krupa, and Artie Shaw. In 1945, he became increasingly involved in the new Bebop music. He recorded in small groups with leading Bebop and Swing musicians, including Howard McGhee, Charlie Parker, and Lester Young, as well as leading his own bands.
 
In 1956, producer Lyle Griffin released a two-sided single record by the comedian and monologist Richard "Lord" Buckley under the futuristic title "Flight of The Saucer." Now considered a a cult record, the flying object was provided by piano music from Marmarosa, for whom "Flight of The Vout Bug"—suggesting at least verbally some kind of analogy to Rimsky-Korsakov's "Bumble Bee"—had been written as a miniature concertino for piano and Big Band.
 
Marmarosa’s many records from the 1940s to the 1960s, including some of Slim Gaillard's humorous excursions into the language of "Vout," have never been completely documented in a comprehensive and chronological catalogue . . . until now. Included is a detailed Discography of Marmarosa’s known recorded performances and an interpretative survey that guides the listener's ear to some of the intrinsic artistic values of Marmarosa's ever-beautiful and highly personal piano style.